SEOUL, South Korea—Global pop superstar Jung Kook of KPop juggernauts BTS released the first solo album GOLDEN along with an accompanying music video.
GOLDEN puts golden moments of Jung Kook’s career trajectory as a solo artist front and center, with a total of 11 tracks including the main track “Standing Next to You,” solo single “Seven (feat. Latto)” in both clean and explicit versions, and “3D (feat. Jack Harlow)”.
Brand new tracks are also on the record, including “Closer to You (feat. Major Lazer),” “Yes or No,” “Please Don’t Change (feat. DJ Snake),” “Hate You,” “Somebody,” “Too Sad to Dance,” and “Shot Glass of Tears.”
Through the order of the tracks, Jung Kook expresses the flow of emotions that follow the changes in relationships. The first half of which introduces songs with light-hearted melodies portraying someone falling in love, whereas the latter half lays out songs that feel heavier, dealing with emotions following a breakup.
Having been known as the ‘Golden Maknae’ (‘golden youngest’ in Korean) of BTS, Jung Kook illustrates through the album his growth from his young yet golden debut in his early career to the global popstar he is today. Jung Kook carefully curated the album with a variety of genres that reflect his wide musical spectrum and versatility, and fully committed to the entire process of making the album.
Jung Kook then joined forces with world-renowned musicians for the album’s production like Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, Major Lazer as well as mega producers such as BloodPop, David Stewart and more for the album. The album also boasts star-studded features, with “Seven (feat. Latto)” and “3D (feat. Jack Harlow),” Major Lazer, DJ Snake and more chart-topping musicians made the tracks even more sonically pleasing.
Main track “Standing Next to You” is a retro funk track that showcases Jung Kook’s groovy vocals. The track conveys the message that ‘because our love is deeper than anything, we will always be together no matter what adversity may come our way.’
The track’s wind instruments, bombastic percussion, and Jung Kook’s powerful vocals come together to add an infectious, explosive energy to the tune. GRAMMY award-winning producers Andrew Watt and Cirkut, who worked on “Seven (feat. Latto),” teamed up with Jung Kook again to produce the track.
The main track’s music video teaser, released on November 2, showcased a snippet of the choreography and was met with a great level of excitement. The main track’s performance shows the pinnacle of Jung Kook’s stage presence and proves his upward trajectory as the global popstar.
The music video for the main track champions a uniquely cinematic aesthetic. Captured with cinematic techniques, Jung Kook’s performance unfolds in a theatrical world with eccentric aesthetics, offering a wide variety of visually standout moments. Film director Tanu Muino, who won “Video of the Year” at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards for Lil Nas X’s “Montero,” was at the helm.
The accompanying video, shot in Budapest, Hungary, opens with Jung Kook heading towards a mysterious woman he encounters on the streets. The video then cuts to a scene of Jung Kook walking behind the woman through a tunnel, echoing the track’s message of always being together with the beloved. The following dance sequences that unfold in various locations with the dancers offer visually mesmerizing performances.
Jung Kook, with his charismatic aura, turns every setting such as a tunnel and a circular dome into a stage. The scene, in which he performs in a space reminiscent of an old theater, further shows the versatile performer’s stage presence as a solo artist at its height. The video closes with Jung Kook descending from the stage and walking up towards the woman until he’s in front of her in his self-assured aura.
Following the release of the new album, Jung Kook will make an appearance at TODAY Show’s CitiConcert Series on November 6 and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 8.
GOLDEN is now available on all streaming platforms worldwide.
Listen to GOLDEN on Spotify here: